A method of positioning a tape that includes determining an estimated position of a test element on the tape and rotating a spool that carries the tape in order for the test element to be positioned at a reading station. The estimated position of the test element is determined based on detected rotation of the spool, which can be measured at any shaft in the drive train. Also disclosed is a testing process for testing a sample deposited on a test element of a tape held on a spool of a cassette, a system for determining an estimated position of a test element on a tape which is carried by a cassette, and a memory storage medium associated with an in vitro diagnostic test cassette.

The machine (1; 100) comprises a winding station (3; 101), adapted to receive secondary winding cores (T) coaxial with, and adjacent to, one another. A cutting device (11; 104) is also provided, with a plurality of blades (13; 105), arranged upstream of the winding station (3; 101) with respect to the feeding direction of the web material (N) and adapted to subdivide the web material into plurality of strips (S1-S5) of web material; The machine has a web material evaluation system and a programmable unit (71) for processing data collected by the web material evaluation system.

The rewinding machine (1) comprises: a winding station (3) with winding members (5, 7) operated by winding motors (8.1, 8.2); an unwinder (31.1, 31.2) with an unwinding member (35.1, 35.2) operated by at least one unwinding motor (38.1, 38.2); guide roller (43.1, 43.2) along a feed path (P) of the web material (N, N2). There is associated with the guide roller (43.1, 43.2) at least one load sensor (42.1, 42.2), adapted to detect a parameter proportional to the tension of the web material (N; N2) guided around the guide roller (43.1, 43.2). There is also provided a control unit (71) adapted to modulate a difference in speed between the winding members (5, 7) and the unwinding member (35.1, 35.2) as a function of a signal coming from the load sensor (42.1, 42.2).

A tensioning control device having a first motor that applies a torque to a first end of a substrate in a first direction and a second motor that applies a torque to a second end of the substrate in a second direction that is generally opposite the first direction is disclosed. In this manner, the first motor and the second motor apply torque to the substrate in opposing directions, thereby placing the substrate in tension. In one embodiment, the first motor applies a torque to the first end of the substrate that is equal to the torque applied to the second end of the substrate by the second motor. By placing the substrate in tension in this manner, an actuator is able to incrementally move the substrate in a forward direction and a backward direction independent of the tension applied to the substrate.

A feeder, for which carrier tape is reliably inserted to a specified position without contacting engaging protrusions of sprocket, is provided. The feeder includes an entrance retaining member that pushes the carrier tape inserted into a tape insertion section towards a tape feeding path, a rotatable lever that raises the entrance retaining member when the carrier tape is inserted into the tape insertion section, and a contact prevention device that prevents contact between the carrier tape inserted into the tape insertion section and the engaging protrusions when the entrance retaining member is raised by the rotation of the lever.

A feeder, for which carrier tape is reliably inserted to a specified position without contacting engaging protrusions of sprocket, is provided. The feeder includes an entrance retaining member that pushes the carrier tape inserted into a tape insertion section towards a tape feeding path, a rotatable lever that raises the entrance retaining member when the carrier tape is inserted into the tape insertion section, and a contact prevention device that prevents contact between the carrier tape inserted into the tape insertion section and the engaging protrusions when the entrance retaining member is raised by the rotation of the lever.

A conveyance apparatus includes a conveyance roller, a conveyance motor, a back tension roller, a conveyance speed detector, a brake, and a controller. The controller is configured to: based on a conveyance speed of a web detected by the conveyance speed detector, control a value of a drive control parameter of the conveyance motor such that the conveyance speed of the web is equal to a target speed; and, based on an output torque of the conveyance motor corresponding to the value of the drive control parameter, adjust a braking force of the brake applied to the back tension roller which applies a tension to the web such that the tension of the web is equal to a target tension.

Systems for providing efficient manufacturing of paper, sheet, and/or box products of varying size and structure, often with pre-applied print (pre-print), are provided herein. Efficient customer ordering/tracking, job aggregation, print imposition, corrugator planning, and tracking and adjustments throughout the manufacturing process are contemplated. A reel editor is configured to edit the roll based on waste and/or errors that occurred during various manufacturing processes (e.g., during printing). A control plan defining what is on each roll of printed web product may be updated after editing. Depending on the configuration, the reel editor may be integrated with various manufacturing components. The reel editor may be configured to determine if there is enough waste on the roll to even making editing worthwhile, such as based on desired quality of the images, customer requirements, different price points, among other possible factors.

A slitter device includes a first tension detecting unit for obtaining a raw-cloth tension value which is a tension value of a sheet material fed out from a let-off mechanism, a second tension detecting unit for obtaining a divided material tension value which is the sum of the tension values of each of divided sheet materials, and a drive control device which includes a comparator to which the first tension detecting unit and the second tension detecting unit are connected, and which compares the raw-cloth tension value and the divided material tension value with each other; and a drive controller which controls an operating state of a roll driving motor such that the raw-cloth tension value and the divided material tension value coincide or substantially coincide with each other based on the comparison result of the comparator.

There is provided a corrugated sheet processing apparatus (120) comprising: sheet processing equipment comprising at least feed and guide rollers for selecting, moving and supporting sheets or webs to a corrugator (136) for forming a corrugated sheet from which corrugated products (146) can be cut, at least one layer of the corrugated sheet, and thus products, being formed from a printed sheet or web; and a control system for controlling the sheet processing equipment (136) or a cutter (148); the sheet processing apparatus (136) further comprising a visual inspection unit (162) arranged for reading printed information markers provided on at least one printed sheet or web as the printed sheet or web, and thus the printed information markers to be read, pass through the corrugated sheet processing apparatus (136), or corrugator, past the visual inspection unit (162); and wherein the control system further has a data look-up table comprising either a) for the products, at least information associated with the form or type of at least one of the sheets or webs to be used in the corrugated sheet for those products (146), and associated with that information specific identifier information readable from the printed information markers by the visual inspection unit (162), whereby the apparatus (120) can identify what products will be produced downstream of the visual inspection unit, and the required settings for the sheet processing equipment or corrugator for those products, from a read printed information marker so that the sheet processing equipment or corrugator can be appropriately controlled by the control system in response to the read printed information marker, or b) at least information associated with the products (146) to be cut from the corrugated sheet, including cutter settings for the at least one cutting apparatus for those products, and associated with those settings specific identifier information readable from the printed information markers by the visual inspection unit, whereby the apparatus (120) can identify required cutter settings for the cutting apparatus (148) for the read printed information markers so that the cutting apparatus can be appropriately controlled by the control system in response to a read printed information marker to provide a change in the cutter requirements.